Catheter with a Double Balloon Structure to Generate and Apply a Heated Ablative Zone to Tissue
AssigneeAqua Heart, Inc.
InventorVirender K. Sharma
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Ablation catheters and systems include coaxial catheter shafts with an inner lumen for delivering an ablative agent and an outer lumen for circulation of a cooling element about the catheter. Induction heating is used to heat a chamber and vaporize a fluid within by wrapping a coil about a ferromagnetic chamber and providing an alternating current to the coil. A magnetic field is created in the area surrounding the chamber which induces electric current flow in the chamber, heating the chamber and vaporizing the fluid inside. Positioning elements help maintain the device in the proper position with respect to the target tissue and also prevent the passage of ablative agent to normal tissues.
Claims12
A catheter adapted to ablate cardiac tissue comprising:
- a first shaft having an external surface and a first lumen extending from a proximal end of the catheter to a first point positioned before a distal end of the catheter;
- a second shaft having a second lumen extending from the proximal end of the catheter to a second point at or before the distal end of the catheter, wherein the second shaft is positioned within the first shaft;
- a balloon positioned between said first point and said second point;
- and
- a channel extending through said first shaft, wherein the channel is in fluid communication with the balloon.
An ablation system adapted to ablate cardiac tissue comprising:
- a vapor generation system adapted to generate vapor;
- a catheter comprising:
- a first shaft having a first lumen extending from a proximal end of the catheter to a first point positioned before a distal end of the catheter;
- a second shaft having a second lumen extending from the proximal end of the catheter to a second point at or before the distal end of the catheter, wherein the second shaft is positioned within the first shaft;
- a balloon positioned between said first point and said second point;
- and
- a channel extending through said first shaft, wherein the channel is in fluid communication with the balloon and in fluid communication with the vapor generation system;
- and
- a controller in data communication with the vapor generation system, wherein the controller is adapted to control an amount of vapor passed into the channel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.